Say Something, Prime
by Prime627
Summary: Optimus is in the core now, but he is missing his team and they are missing him. What happens when his brother finds out?


_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_I'll be the one, if you want me to_

_Anywhere I would've followed you_

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

Optimus breathed steadily, in and out. In and out. He opened his optics and he looked around. He had been in the core for almost a year now. He had given up thinking what thinks would have been like if he had acted differently. He did not have time for those kinds of questions.

What was done was done, and there was no changing it. He had few regrets, and no desire to go back and fix them.

He often heard the family he left behind mourn him, and he wanted to scold them for being so hard on themselves. He was just a being, expendable like the rest.

What made him so special from everyone else?

_And I am feeling so small_

_It was over my head_

_I know nothing at all_

He understood that he was a Prime and that they sometimes needed his guidance, but they were fine now. The Decepticons were disbanded and Unicron was safely locked away. As far as he was concerned, they had no enemies left, so they should be happy. But day after day, week after week, month after month, _second_ after _second_, someone came to the Well to talk to him.

He would listen patiently, and wish his vocals would work so he could somehow soothe whoever came to him for comfort.

He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around his team, though he had never considered such behavior before, and he wanted to give them what the humans called a hug.

How would they respond to such behavior? They would probably be offended, he decided. They had never hugged him before, so they probably did not expect to be hugged. He scolded himself for such thinking, turning his attention back to the mouth of the Well. He hoped someone would come by to speak to him, to tell him what was going on.

_And I will stumble and fall_

_I'm still learning to love_

_Just starting to crawl_

He flinched when he heard Primus' voice all around him and his shoulders lowered when he spoke to him.

_You miss them?_

"I do not miss being alive. I am alive here, in a way. I am of better use to my team here than up there."

_They loved you_, the Creator said unexpectedly.

He closed his optics slowly and he started to smile at the memories he had of Bumblebee, of Bulkhead, of Arcee...then he shook his helm to clear it.

"They wonder what they could have done differently so that I could reamin alive. They are dependant on me. They should not be."

_They loved you so much_.

He closed his optics again and he tried to block out the Creator.

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you_

_Anywhere I would've followed you_

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

The Creator remained silent as he watched his Thirteenth creation. _Perhaps you should speak with the others._

He welcomed the distraction and he searched for his siblings.

In the core, it was all white, and it was endless. There was no limit to the core that he knew. He felt safe here. He knew he could not be lost.

It did not take him long before he heard the debates that could only belong to Alchemist Prime and Alpha Trion. Soon he saw the rest of the Thirteen.

"All are one," he greeted.

"Till all are one," Nexus returned, leading their brothers and sister.

_And I will swallow my pride_

_You're the one that I love_

_And I'm saying goodbye_

He walked to his mentor, and his brother, Alpha Trion. He clapped him on the shoulder as he listened to Alchemist sketch a new version of a Seeker with broader wings and a smaller frame.

Alpha Trion shook his helm and erased the image, making his brother squeal in shock.

Optimus pulled away and he walked to see Amalgamous take the physical image of Nexus, who proceeded to separate into his three components, something that Amalgamous was incapable of. The shapeshifter narrowed his optics at him, then grinned as they descended into quiet laughter.

He turned his attention to Solus as she forged the frames of sparklings. He was only interested in one that was meant for Arcee when she was to fall back into love with Knockout. He helped Solus Prime, his lover, design the face so that it was perfectly Arcee, so that it was perfectly Knockout.

He cast his brothers a sorrowful look, then walked away.

He was being followed.

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_And I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you_

_And anywhere I would've followed you (Oh-oh-oh-oh)_

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

Vector Prime touched his brother's shoulder. "You are sad."

Optimus flinched, not expecting his most-respected brother (other than Prima) to be with him. "I am not," he protested. "I am thinking."

"You miss your family."

"I miss my team," he corrected.

"That is not what you told our Creator."

Optimus cursed silently and he looked away. "I do not want to go back."

"I can sense that you do, you just do not want to put so much stock in something that will probably not happen. Am I correct?"

"You are."

Vector wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulders, steering him as he cleared his throught. "As you know, I am in charge of time. I am also charged with reincarnations, since it is related with time. I have reincarnated thousands of femmes and thousands of mechs. I have given sparklings that were stillborn or miscarried a chance to breathe again. And I have reincarnated you as Orion Pax."

Optimus nodded. He knew that already. He knew what his brother was capable of. Why was he telling him this? Why was he reminding him of the special gift he was able to do? To taunt him with another chance he wanted so badly?

Or...maybe...

"I can tell you want to go back, Optimus. I will be honored to send you back."

Optimus blinked up at him. He could hardly believe it. A chance to go back? "What do I have to do?"

"Nothing. It is painless and it requires nothing on your half. Just for you to consent to be sent back to Cybertron for another chance."

His optics brightened. He imagined going back to Cybertron, going back to his team. _No_, he corrected. Back to his family.

"I will send you back as you were. You will not go back as a sparkling. That will take far too much time to plan and Solus is already working on millions of sparkling frames."

Optimus let Vector touch a digit to his forehelm and another to his chest. He took a sharp intake at the sensation he was getting. It tingled.

It burned.

It was delicious.

"Thank you, Vector," he murmured.

"Think nothing of it, Optimus. It is my honor, and my duty to return those who deserve another chance."

_Say something, I'm giving up on you_

_Say something..._

Optimus woke up, laying at the mouth of the well. He heard voices. He heard laughter. He heard sobbing. He sat up and he blinked at his team, at his family, at his friends. He saw Knockout gripping Arcee's servo. He saw Wheeljack standing beside Bulkhead. He saw Bumblebee hang on to Smokescreen for support. He saw Ultra Magnus gripping Ratchet's shoulder as he fought back his own tears. "Do not cry for me," he murmured as he stood up.

He was tackled then. He was buried under his family and they all laughed and sobbed together, making the Prime smile.

"Welcome back!"

It was good to be back.

He had missed them.

He found he had loved them, and it tore him apart to be so far away from them.

"It is good to be back," he said, and he wrapped his arms around them to pull them into a fierce hug.

And they returned it.


End file.
